


First Name Basis

by vyrenrolar



Category: Leverage
Genre: First Kiss, Food, M/M, eliot is actually very insecure and this is the hill i have chosen to die on, name kink (kinda)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 20:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18453863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vyrenrolar/pseuds/vyrenrolar
Summary: Eliot and Hardison have been working together for years; Eliot wonders why Hardison doesn't use his first name.





	First Name Basis

“Hey, Hardison?” Eliot wiped his hands on the dish cloth hanging from the bar above the sink.

“Yeah? What’s up, my man?” Hardison typed out a line of code, erased it, then typed it again.

“How come you don’t use your first name?” Eliot made his way into the living room area and placed his now clean hands on the couch behind Hardison’s head.

Hardison froze, set his laptop aside, and looked up, Eliot’s hair just inches away from the tips of his ears. “Why?” He asked, drawing out the vowel until it seemed the word had three or four extra syllables.

“Just wondering.” Eliot blew a wisp of hair away from where it had caught on his nose, not looking away from Hardison’s upside down face.

“I dunno. Feels sort of intimate is all. Like verbal eye contact.” He blinked.

“We’re making eye contact right now, that don’t seem particularly intimate.” Eliot blew again at the stubborn strand of hair.

“I don’t know what you’re looking at, but I’m making eye contact with your crusty ass nostrils. Seriously dude, it’s like a--” Eliot cut him off by shoving him over, laughing despite Hardison’s protest of “Watch the damn computer!”

 

\---

 

“Hey, Hardison?” It was three days later, and Eliot was hunting through the kitchen cupboards for something.

“‘Sup?” Hardison replied through a mouthful of turkey sandwich.

“What’s your favorite color?” Eliot grabbed an unlabeled spice container and let out a quiet exclamation of victory.

“Purple, why?” He took a sip of his orange soda, looking at Eliot expectantly.

Eliot, on the other hand, stared steadfastly at the stovetop, shrugged, and said, “No reason.”

“Please. You never ask anything without a reason.” Hardison pointed at the man with his soda bottle.

Eliot shrugged again, and mumbled something Hardison couldn’t quite make out. At Hardison’s sigh, he repeated himself. “Wanted to get to know you better is all.”

Hardison rose from his barstool and moved to lean against the counter next to where Eliot was determinedly seasoning a pan of home fries. “We’ve been working together for five years, man, what’s this really about?”

Eliot sighed and removed the pan from the heat. He braced himself against the counter, closed his eyes, and swallowed. “Any chance you could drop it, treat it like the unimportant question that it was?”

At Hardison’s “uh-uh,” he sighed again. “It’s...well, it’s possible that it’s come to my attention lately that I might perhaps have certain,” here he crossed his arms, “feelings, I guess, for you, and I thought that maybe we--I, I mean I, could explore them, potentially.” He stared resolutely at the ground.

Hardison chuckled, then reached out to tip Eliot’s face up by the chin. “When you figure out how to say that without quite so many qualifiers, I’ll be right here.” He grinned and made to step back, but he found his movement halted by Eliot’s hand on his wrist.

“Alec.”

He froze, looking down at Eliot’s upturned face. “Eliot, man, you don’t know what that does to me, hearing my name outta your--”

“Alec. I’m trying. I’m not good at this, not when it’s real.” His gaze locked with Hardison’s, blue holding dark brown steady.

“You say my name all breathy and raw like that again, I swear to god Eliot I will kiss you where you stand.” He raised his eyebrows at Eliot, then moved his free hand to brush a strand of hair out of the other man’s eyes.

Eliot shivered at the touch. His eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into the other man’s hand. “Is this real?” He slurred. “You know I don’t do things halfway, man. If you’re anything other than all in, Alec, I can’t…” He trailed off, distracted by Alec’s fingertips on his neck.

“Of course it is, Eliot. Been waiting for you to come around for a while now. Woulda waited as long as you needed.” Eliot’s eyes fluttered open again, crinkling at the corners in a grin. Alec grinned back, then placed a gentle kiss on Eliot’s lips. “Now. You know what I’m thinking?”

Eliot chuckled. “What are you thinking, A-lec?” He drew the name out, gratified to see the slightest little shiver in the other man’s response.

Alec pursed his lips. “I’m thinking you better hurry up and finish those home fries, ‘cause Imma need something to go with the rest of that turkey sandwich you made me.”


End file.
